Well, I guess I'll say it since no one else is brave enough:
Ted Ginn, Jr.
Guys spare me the heartfelt tirades of defending our own team's pick... but let's face it. When we selected Ginn, Jr. there was a collective laughter spread across the nation as even our own faithful screamed "WTF!".
Furthermore, I believe the main motivation for threads like this is to make ourselves feel better or to prove that we didn't make the biggest bonehead pick of the draft.
Every day we've had to hope for great news regarding Ginn, Jr. just to justify or PRAY that it doesn't make us look bad. As I'm sure many of us still get slight ridicule from friends about the pick.
It wasn't that Quinn was or was not the answer.... it's the fact that we have an OBVIOUS disparity at the game's most important position at that point in time and we PASS on selecting a QB at such a premium position in the draft. When nearly EVERY person in America felt the tumblers had fallen sweetly into place for Miami to FINALLY get a top flight QB.
Please spare me the emphatic support of the self-proclaimed geniuses who picked Ginn, Jr. in their own draft projections. A handful of people getting our pick right does not calm the laughs, boos and pained echo heard throughout the NFL world and America when every fan worth his salt dropped his jaw when the pick was announced.
It's not that Quinn WAS the answer. But, when Miami has dire needs at QB, LT and other premium positions.... and STILL picks a WR that we looked like homers on a day when each team has an equal chance to shine.
The Ginn, Jr. pick needed, and still does, discussion to SOOTHE the minds of nearly every Dolphan with in the world. That's not a sign of a collective opinion believing he was a good pick.
At least Buffalo addressed an immediate pressing need.
I don't recall us NEEDING to address an IMMEDIATE need at WR with Booker, Chambers and Hagan shoring up the WRs. I do recall us with a HUGE hole at LT and QB.
And all the maneuvering in the world across our OLine did not solve our BIGGEST problem on the OLine: QUALITY ATHLETES.
Had we REACHED (as some like to call it) for Joe Staley and still picked Satele and Mormino. We would have at least SOLIDIFIED our line with such a stockpile of talent we would not had to worry about starting OLineman for many years to come. Now, as it stands.... we still have issues if Shelton and/or Carey get injured.
Make no mistake, our line is still patchwork. Because we not only lack starting quality players, we lack quality DEPTH.
I don't care about the arguments regarding "reaching for players" or "selecting based on draft value instead of need" or "couldn't trade because of no trade partner". At the end of the day, the problem remained that we had gaping holes at the 2 most critical positions in football and we failed to address either with the #9 pick in the draft.
Staley, Beck, Satele, Mormino, Booker, Solai, and the others... would have also been a very impressive haul. Enough so we would have had a very impressive foundation and core from which to build for many years.
Now, as it stands, Carey HAS to work out at LT, Shelton MUST succeed at RT.... or we don't have many options to fix it if it goes wrong.
Staley gave us options we simply don't have now.
Sad to say, but not addressing LT means our entire offensive success depends on the only decent tackles on our roster living up to complete potential and remaining healthy.
And before you reply, GET SOMETHING STRAIGHT.... I'm not saying Staley was the total answer worth the #9 pick. BUT, NOT addressing the LT OR QB problem with #9 pick (trading up/down, selecting Staley, Quinn, SOMETHING) WAS THE WHOLE PROBLEM.
Selecting a non-need position that already has depth was one of biggest blunders in recent history. I don't care how much PROOF anyone brings to the table..... when the entire NFL laughs at such a high pick... IT'S NOT GOOD. That means even simple minded fans realize the questionability of the pick.
